CHFA NOW 2025 Toronto

Grow your small and medium brands with NIQ solutions that provide the Full View of the CPG industry and consumer shopping behaviour. Without breaking the bank.

Whether you are new to the rapidly growing wellness industry in Canada, or a seasoned veteran, NIQ offers a wide range of solutions that can help you go beyond and:

We are thrilled to announce the Launch Pad Prize at the CHFA trade show in Toronto as well as our very own Francis Parisien as a head judge!

As the exclusive Presenting Partner, we are awarding a $15,000+ consulting and data package to the winning brand. This includes access to NIQ’s MarketTrack or Omni data, plus expert consulting to unlock powerful insights into your category, competition, and consumers in Canada. With tailored guidance on how to use the data effectively, this one-time package empowers the Launch Pad winner to make informed, strategic decisions that accelerate growth. As Canada’s leading provider of consumer intelligence, NIQ delivers the data that drives real growth.

Carman Allison

Carman Allison is NielsenIQ’s Vice President of New Business Development for Canada. Carman constantly has his finger on the pulse of the CPG marketplace, and manufacturers and retailers rely on him to provide insights and solutions they need to make strategic business decisions. He has over 30 years of experience consulting on consumer and retail trends and is a key-note speaker at industry conferences as well as being featured in numerous trade and news media such as his monthly ‘It Figures’ column in Grocery Business.

Pierre-Marc Denault

Pierre-Marc Denault is the Commercial Lead for NPI Canada, with nearly a decade of experience in market intelligence, client development, and analytics within the retail and consumer goods sectors. Before returning to NielsenIQ, he led the Trade Activation and Category Management teams for Québec and Atlantic at Molson Coors Canada, where he helped evolve data-driven strategies to support commercial growth. Today, Pierre-Marc oversees the rollout of NPI, a new innovative data solution that helps businesses uncover key consumption trends and generate actionable insights across more than 555 new attributes. Deeply passionate about data, analytics and people, he is known for turning complex signals into clear, growth-oriented strategies.

Alexie Morin

Alexie Morin is Sales Director at The Unscented Company, where she leads growth across North America for a line of sustainable, unscented home and body care products. With close to a decade of experience in CPG sales and marketing, including corporate roles at L’Oréal and hands-on work in startup environments, she brings a practical, customer-focused approach to building strong retail partnerships and scaling mission-driven brands.

555 Reasons to Rethink Health & Wellness: Insights to Drive Innovation

Friday, September 19th | 3:15pm – 4:00pm | Room 200C

Join Nick as we explore the latest health and wellness trends shaping the Canadian CPG landscape—including insights from our newest solution – NIQ Product Insights, offering bold new technology that tracks the 555 product attributes that matter most to consumers.

From functional foods to clean beauty, from sustainable packaging to immune-boosting claims, Canadian shoppers are more intentional than ever. This session will equip you with the insights to innovate with confidence and grow in a complex industry environment.

Meet the Expert

Nick Gibson – Canada Lead, NielsenIQ Product Insights

Nick Gibson has worked at NielsenIQ for nearly ten years on various clients (large and small), across various issues ranging from consumer insights to pricing, online to physical retail, and much more. Today, he helps the grocery industry evolve towards consumer desires for health & wellness, sustainability, and other important product attributes using innovative data. This has been a passion area for many years, and now he finds himself doing this everyday with brands, retailers, and others in the industry. If he is not crunching data on these trends, you will find him researching the latest personal health insights, being active at the gym or sports, or pondering about the world and how to make it better.

Wellness Reimagined: Navigating Consumer Shifts in an Unpredictable Economy

Friday, September 19th | 4:15pm – 5:00pm | Room 200C

Join Francis Parisien for a forward-looking session on how economic turbulence is reshaping the wellness landscape in Canada. From inflation and global trade pressures to evolving consumer values, Francis will unpack the latest data and trends driving change. Discover how today’s wellness-minded shoppers are redefining value, innovation, and loyalty—and what that means for your brand. This session will equip you with the insights needed to stay ahead of the curve and thrive in a market where agility and intelligence are key.

Meet the Expert

Francis Parisien – SVP SMB

Francis Parisien is the Senior Vice President of Sales for Small and Medium Businesses in Canada at NielsenIQ (NIQ). With more than two decades of experience at NIQ, Francis brings deep expertise in navigating the impacts, challenges and opportunities of an evolving marketplace and shifting consumer trends.

In his role, Francis leads a nationwide team that supports start-ups, emerging suppliers, established manufacturers, government agencies and non-governmental organizations seeking market and consumer insights. Collaborating closely with his team, Francis’ primary objective is to forge partnerships across the fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG) sector, ensuring NIQ’s Canadian initiatives remain aligned with client needs and market dynamics.

Connect with Francis on LinkedIn.